The head of Europol believes that there are no more than 100
"We know more or less who they are. If we can take them out of the equation, then the rest of the cybercrime edifice will collapse," he said characteristically.
However, he stressed that the fight against cybercrime remains an “uphill battle.” “We are not talking about static numbers and unfortunately they will increase,” he commented and continued: “We can deal with them, but criminals have more resources and no obstacles in their way. They are driven by greed and profit and are producing malware at a speed that we are struggling to keep up with.”.
The biggest problem facing those fighting cybercrime at the present time is the fact that it "knows no borders," explained the head of Europol.
"Criminals are now committing their crimes remotely and because of that we can't use the usual means to catch them. We have to work with different countries. I have to work with countries, which is something I'm not used to and that scares me a bit," Oerting added.
According to him, the majority of cybercrime masterminds are in Russian-speaking countries.
Europol's relations with law enforcement in Russia have not always been good, "but they are improving," he commented, revealing that he had recently been to Moscow to discuss four major cybercrime cases, saying he hoped arrests and convictions would follow.
If there is one thing consumers should be concerned about, it would be the theft of their personal data: their personal identity.
"The theft of sensitive, personal information, such as the various passwords for accounts used on the Internet, is a worrying phenomenon. If a hacker manages to learn this information, he can take someone's life into his hands," he added.
